Shilpa Agarwal's Blog, page 5

Masterpiece of Multicultural Fiction

Since I've published Haunting Bombay, it has been reviewed by a number of book bloggers out there in cyberspace.  One of my favorite bloggers is Swapna of S. Krishna Books whose reviews are consistently well-written and thoughtful.  I was thrilled when she reviewed Haunting Bombay this week, calling it "a masterpiece of multicultural fiction" and "compulsively readable" with writing that is "beautiful."  Swapna also writes,  "It is difficult to tell that this is [Agarwal's:] first novel - her ...

One of the Best Books of the Year

Fantasy Book Critic reviewed Haunting Bombay this week, calling it "easily one of the best books of the year" with writing that is "captivating and elegant" and "a sheer pleasure to read."  Click here for the full review.

Siren Song: Haunting Bombay on Virtual Tour

I've been doing a lot travel in the past months, speaking at various literary events and this weekI had the opportunity to go on a virtual book tour with TLC Tours.  Book bloggers have hosted me on their sites, reviewing my book or inviting me to write a guest blog - and all this without ever having to leave my home or pack a suitcase.Here's what they are saying about Haunting Bombay:   Darlene at Peeking Between the Pages writes, "From the beginning of the book I was hooked and I just kept t...

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Masterful Storytelling

Editor-in-chief Benish Shah of Neem Magazine reviewed Haunting Bombay in this month's edition.  She writes, "Providing a voice to those that are silenced creates the platform for this richly provocative story woven through symbolism, masterful storytelling, and the infamous monsoons of India. In her book, Haunting Bombay, Shilpa Agarwal has taken her pen, or rather her computer, and written a beautiful understanding of India of the yesteryears - haunted not just by a real ghost but by...

Russia!

This just in: Haunting Bombay will journey to the beautiful land of Russia, to be translated and published by Phantom Press in 2010. Foreign editions in Italy, Spain, and India will also be released next year.

A Brilliant, Gothic Read

This review just appeared in the September edition of India Currents, an Indo-American monthly magazine, calling Haunting Bombay "a brilliant gothic read" that takes us on "a lyrical and witty journey" where "the wet sheen of the rain, the supernatural, spiritual, and the mythological are a constant presence."  India Currents compares Haunting Bombay to an Indian version of the "game of Clue, a whodunnit with all the usual suspects, set in a large home in an affluent neighborhood in the...

Decatur Book Festival This Weekend

I'm off to sunshiny Georgia this Friday morning to participate in the annual Decatur Book Festival, near Atlanta.  There's a whole slate of activities they have planned for us authors, including readings and a special dinner and opportunities to meet and mingle with book worms of all types.   I'll be speaking on a panel on Saturday morning so please come if you are in town.  More news once I arrive!  Click here for details.

Smart Genre Fiction

[image error]Many thanks to Shashwati Talukdar for her review on Dhvani calling Haunting Bombay "an intricate and complex narrative" in which "[g:]hosts lurk, grandmothers hobble around being tough matriarchs, and adults in general behave quite badly. There is a huge cast of characters in this extended household, which includes all the servants and the neighbors. And all of them get their arc and back stories. A tall order for any book. It makes for a jam packed narrative which keeps you turning the page to f

Coffee & Conversation at the Burbank Public Library

[image error]I was greeted with coffee, tea, cookies and some very interesting questions during my reading at the Burbank Public Library which was co-sponsored by Dark Delicacies Supernatural Bookstore.  One gentleman asked which characters, aside from the child who died and her ayah, found themselves at times without voice or power.  I talked about my protagonist Pinky who is a child of Partition, the 1947 division of India during which 12.5 million people were displace from their ancestral homes, including